Blake Shapen ready for major test against Arizona State

Last Saturday was a chance for Blake Shapen to get back on the field in a Mississippi State uniform for the first time since September of last year.

There were some nerves for the senior quarterback, but it was an overall success as he earned his second win as the Bulldogs’ signal caller. The 34-17 win over Southern Miss was a good start to the season but there were plenty of things to take away to make his team better for his week.

Speaking of this week, Shapen and the Bulldogs are set to host a huge contest with top 12 team Arizona State on Saturday night inside Davis Wade Stadium. Shapen previewed that game, gave his thoughts on State’s last contest and more.

Question: What did you think of your play in game one back out there?

Shapen: “I think for me, overall it was a good day. Being able to get the ball out quick and things like that on the perimeter. Obviously, the pick is something that I want back. In that situation, just got to take care of the football and get to the checkdown when I can. Being able to take care of the football is going to be a big thing for our team winning games so that starts with me.

“Basically we had an option route on the outside and (Seydou Traore) had a dig route on the inside. I thought the option route was going to do something and he did something else and immediately I saw Zeko flash. In reality, just get to the checkdown and move on to the next play.”

Q: Is there any carryover from last year in this Arizona State team?

Shapen: “I think they’re carrying over 10 starters from last year so very experienced on that side of the ball. A lot of good playmakers and guys that have played a lot of football. We’ve just got to do our job and respect our opponent. Obviously, they had a really good year last year so just being able to respect them and go into the game and execute the right way is big for us.”

Q: When looking back at the penalties last week, was that lack of communication or first game mistakes?  

Shapen: “It’s just first game mistakes, maybe jitters. We can’t have those penalties and obviously they stalled the drives out for us. We showed that whenever we don’t have those penalties we’re able to move the ball down the field fast. We’ve got to eliminate those and be able to execute the right way.”

Q: On the sidelines, when you’re having conversations, what’s the focus with your coach trying to build off of that?

Shapen: “For the guys it’s letting them know it’s ‘next-play mentality.’ No matter what’s happened previously, playing each play independent of the last is huge for us.  Not thinking about what’s going wrong or what’s going right. It doesn’t matter going forward, you’ve got go to go execute each play. That’s the stress to the guys and whoever makes the mistake. There’s 11 of us that are going to make mistakes all year, but being able to move on and be better the next play.”

Q: Talk about the excitement that you guys have for Saturday hosting a top team.

Shapen: “It’s very exciting. Obviously it’s a black out game. We need everybody to be there because it’s going to be a fun one for us for sure. Hosting a really good football team so it’s something that you dream about as a kid playing in one day. For us, just being able to accept it, go with it and enjoy it. It’s going to be a special game and a fun game being the first game at home and a night game. It’s something that you live for.”

Q: What’s it going to be like for you running out on the field for the first time since last year?

Shapen: “Anytime you get to step on the field and play football, it’s a special moment. I’m going to take the moment in, enjoy it and have fun with it.”

Q: It was your first game since week four last year. How are you feeling?

Shapen: “Honestly, that’s the best I’ve felt after any game I’ve played in. I took less hits and when it was time to get down I did. I took a few that I couldn’t control, but other than that I walked away from the game feeling as good as I could.”

Q: How was it getting a chance to root for your defense after going up against them all summer?

Shapen: “It was awesome. They played really well. It’s always good going out there and playing somebody else. Seeing them do what they did all camp with (Brylan Lanier) with the turnover, making sacks and making plays all over the field, it was fun just because we saw it against us all camp and now we got to see it against somebody else.”

Q: What did you see from Kelley Jones this summer?

Shapen: “I remember when I first got here, Kelley was definitely one of the guys that stood out to me because of his length and how athletic he was. You never want to target a guy like Kelley because of how tall he is and his length. Watching him grow from last year to this year and the things he’s picked up and learned is pretty fun to watch. The ceiling is very high for Kelley.”

Q: What did you think of Jimothy Lewis?

Shapen: “I thought he performed well. Obviously there were some mistakes but I think he did a good job of overcoming the mistakes and being able to move on to the next play. That’s going to happen with a guy that hasn’t played a lot of football. There’s going to be mistakes, pre snap penalties and things like that but that’s something we have to clean up and he knows that. I thought he did really well being a young guy going out there and playing left tackle. Knowing his assignment every play, I thought he did a good job.”

Q: In the middle of the game, were you able to mentally tell yourself to get down when you needed to?

Shapen: “It was kind of weird because I didn’t think I could get to that point mentally because it’s just hard to think about in the middle of the game. But I had those moments where I would feel people around me and I just had to get down and take less of a hit. Obviously, I took some hits going down, but those hits are a lot less instead of standing upright. I think from all the film I’ve watched and being able to put that in my head to get down in those situations I think that helped a lot.”

Q: What was your takeaway from the wide receivers?

Shapen: “I thought they did a really good job. There’s things that we have to clean up in the option game and being on the same page, but overall with lining up in the right spot, going to the right space, whether it’s perimeter blocking or catching footballs, I felt like they executed really good. I’m excited to see what they do. It was fun throwing to them and I felt like any time I dropped back someone was going to be open. That’s a good feeling always.”